“Oh no, there’s one more thing I forgot to mention. Young friend, please hold on!”
An ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator’s speed couldn’t catch up at all. The giant whale had already turned around, swimming and spurting water, moving extremely fast in the sea.
“Not good. Rumor has it that the Imperial Spirit Clan specially invited the Seven Stars of the High Heavens to the shrine to intimidate outsiders. For all we know, Shiyu’s mother might be there right now. What should I do?”
‘This is bad. Of all people to impersonate, why did I have to pretend to be Huangmao right in front of Old Mother Ji? That’s like walking into a trap.’
“Isn’t that perfect? The seven mother and son reunion?”
Li Su tilted her head, confused.
Mister Canghai shook his head speechlessly. No matter how high the status of the Celestial Pivot Palace Master was, even as Shiyu’s “Mister” (sworn father), he couldn’t joke like that in front of the most powerful pretty widow of Star Isle.
On the Imperial Spirit Clan’s side, they wouldn’t allow anyone to disturb the Sakura Dragon Ritual. Worst of all, they were invited guests to taste the Fortune Fruits.
He had already guessed a bit of Yun Liu’s purpose. He had originally wanted to stop the Daughter of the Spirit Attendant from becoming the dragon’s bride, but dying in the sea wasn’t an easy thing. He just hoped that kid wouldn’t be too impulsive.
The sea breeze blew, they rode the whale on a night journey, with light mist swirling around them.
The Sakura Boat Ferry was not far from the Penghu Archipelago; it was only two hours, passing in the blink of an eye.
Yan Bingling gazed at the distant lights, feeling no goodwill towards the tree people of Yingzhou.
“Since Liuer wants the Divine Tree Fortune, then everyone who stands in his way must die, including that dragon!”
The giant whale neared the reef and slowly stopped. The White Whale Island Master said he could only send them this far. He personally didn’t care, but he couldn’t drag Penghu Island into this.
“Whatever you plan to do, young friend, be careful. This place is full of the Hazy Sakura Crowd—deadpool brainwashed by the Imperial Spirit Clan since childhood. If you provoke them, you won’t be able to shake them off even to the ends of the earth.”
“I will.”
“Take care!”
After bidding farewell to the White Whale, Yun Liu took a deep breath, summoned a small boat, and gradually approached the island.
He also had another matter to ask for help: to place an anonymous letter at Wuya Port. The White Whale gladly agreed.
If he remembered correctly, that was the Demon Sect’s stronghold in the Penghu Archipelago. The mysterious demonic cultivator who had fled to the outer sea must be nearby.
Relying on just their group to topple the Sakura Dragon and the Imperial Spirit Clan was like a fantasy. Since the goal was to slay the dragon, both sides had aligned interests. Besides playing the role of Huangmao, he would probably have to use the identity of the False Holy Son to lure some demonic cultivators to assist.
“The ferry ahead belongs to the Imperial Spirit Clan. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to pass!”
Before the spirit boat had even docked, a dark shadow appeared at the bow like a ghost. His figure was blurry, and his divine sense blocked all sight.
Yun Liu obediently showed the Sakura Scroll. The man nodded, then turned into smoke and disappeared.
Gelan kept silent, pretending not to see the other, but her heart grew more tense.
The one who came to greet them was a male Foundation Establishment cultivator, wearing a strangely shaped ceremonial robe, wooden clogs, and a Sacred Tree Mask on his head.
“Eh? How is there an extra scroll? I am a Shishen Shizhe of the Imperial Spirit Clan. May I ask, sir, whose discipleship are you under, and what grade in the Path of Alchemy?”
“I am the Young Master of the Tianji Sect, a third-grade Earth Path Alchemist. These two are my servants. They can accompany me, right?”
Yun Liu released his Qi Sea, revealing his Golden Core cultivation, and simultaneously used Divine Sense Cauldron to invisibly envelop himself.
“It’s the young madam,” Yan Bingling quietly corrected.
“Earth Path Alchemist?!”
The messenger’s spirit lifted, then he felt suffocated. Seeing that the visitor’s divine soul was so powerful, he immediately became much more courteous, even though he had never heard of this sect in the Boundless Sea.
“Of course! So you’re an expert from the Tianji Sect. I’ve long heard of your fame. Our Imperial Spirit Clan needs talent like you!”
The island was planted with many cherry blossoms, their fragrance wafting. Large thatched huts scattered among them, like a secluded village.
The attendant bowed, invited the three to the center of the square, took out a bell from his sleeve and gently shook it. The guests in the thatched huts came out upon hearing the sound.
Most of these people were half-baked alchemists of first or second grade, nearly a hundred in number.
The Imperial Spirit Clan actually needed this many alchemists to refine spiritual medicines and nurture the divine tree?
Gelan and Yun Liu exchanged a glance, sensing something unusual. Could it be that the aunt master had cut into the Sakura Dragon’s lifeline with one sword? It seemed this was only one batch. The Shishen Shizhe invited many alchemists every week to ferry them to Yingzhou Divine Tree. Many alchemists from Penghu Island were also invited.
Canghai directly declined, well aware of the origin of the Fortune Fruits, and held extreme contempt for these people who had persecuted the clan’s young girls for generations.
“Everyone, we’re almost all here. We are about to depart. The Imperial Spirit Clan will remember all the alchemists who lend a hand. At that time, you will be granted a bottle of Divine Path Water, and Lord Sakura Dragon will forever bless you!”
“Excellent!”
The surrounding alchemists were excited, having long coveted the legendary Divine Path Water. Being able to touch the Divine Tree Fortune would greatly benefit their Alchemical Arts.
Yan Bingling sneered: “Sounds nice, but it’s just a few drops of Ah Lian’s bathwater. What’s there to be happy about?”
“Ha? What kind of fetish? Are the people of Yingzhou this perverted? These people are drinking someone else’s bathwater and still so happy?”
Gelan looked bewildered.
Yun Liu chuckled: “You don’t know. The seed of the Divine Tree is about to mature. Then Ah Lian will become the mother body, using herself as soil to nurture the Fortune Fruit. Her bathwater becomes Divine Path Water, carrying a faint trace of the Divine Tree’s fortune. When the mother body matures, her death is imminent. But before that, every drop of blood from the spirit attendant girl is pure Fortune Fruit juice. How could alchemists not go crazy?”
“This…”
Gelan knew that the girls of the Imperial Spirit Clan never had good endings, but she didn’t expect the truth to be so cruel.
Yan Bingling snorted coldly but didn’t refute.
Yun Liu was wondering where the boat was, when suddenly the ground shook beneath his feet. The entire island began to move, and the people around looked around in surprise.
The Shishen Shizhe smiled: “The Sakura Boat Ferry itself is a treasure ship, traveling between Yingzhou Divine Tree and the Boundless Sea.”
The three found a nearby empty thatched hut to settle in. Before entering, Yan Bingling lightly stepped on Yun Liu’s foot, looking at this ‘unfilial son’ with full resentment.
‘It looks like there won’t be a night raid tonight, at least not before taking off the Huangmao disguise. But then, what would Master’s avatar taste like?’
Yun Liu was a bit curious, but he returned to his room to meditate, continuing to absorb the Xuan Nu Bloodline as an extra means of survival. He tried to combine his mortal body with his own fortune to unlock the powers of the Flame Princess and the Star Princess.
However, he vaguely tasted some strange sensations—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy—but most of the time it was happiness.
To be clear, he really wasn’t deliberately peeping into privacy; it was mission necessity. Besides, no one knew more about Huangmao’s matters than him.
Gelan blinked, chose the room to Yun Liu’s left, ready to keep a close eye on Yan Bingling at all times. The child was grown up and had his own world; she just didn’t want him to accidentally end up in the same bed.
Her current primary task had changed—that was, when her disciple was away, to protect her son’s ‘chastity’.